You know about the museums and galleries. You've been surfing off the lido. And, the secret gardens of Venice are no longer a secret from you. But, did you know about the rice paddies of Verona? That pink flamingos migrate through the northern lagoon? That living souls were bought and sold in exchange for Murano glass?

Many people who read this blog are seasoned visitors to Venice. You know a lot about her history, her treasures and her environment. And, above all you know that no matter how much we learn there's always more to know. On this short list, there may be something you did not yet know about Venice...

Venice is, largely, for the birds!

More than 20,000 birds visit Venice, and the almost 70,000 hectars of nature preserves in the Venetian lagoon, every year. These preserves include the barene – the muds flats within the lagoon – as well as the sand dunes at Alberoni and San Nicolo on the Lido, Ca'Roman on Pellestrina, and a swath of coastline near Chioggia.

For the past two years, a flock of flamingos – Yes, pink ones! - has migrated through the northern lagoon each spring. There are sandpipers on the barene whose curved beaks are longer than the birds are tall. There are infinite varieties of ducks. On Sant'Erasmo, in addition to the expected farm birds, I have spotted wild ring-necked red pheasants, and colorful wild parakeets, while on the southern end of the Lido lives a flock of gregarious peacocks who don't seam to feel any need to limit themselves to staying on the farm.

Of course birds such as sea gulls and pigeons can be hard to ignore in the center of Venice, especially when they engage in shenanigans like stealing sandwiches right out of people's hands. But, on the brighter side, it is not at all unusual to catch sight of a yellow-footed egret posing gracefully on the corner of an embarcadero. And, low-flying cormorants make a silly spectacle when they stand around airing their feathers atop the pilings in the lagoon. One day last summer a bird even flew into my living room, had a peck at the potted plants and, gratefully, flitted just as easily back out again.

Though I do not yet know of a bird-watching excursion in the lagoon, I think it's a great idea and will let you know as soon as I hear anything. Meanwhile, this post by Tour Guide Luisella Romeo is a good place to start learning more about the birds and nature preserves of the lagoon.

The historical significance of Murano glass beads:

"Trade beads" are probably the most globally seen Murano glass beads. Yet, very few people realize that they're Venetian. Even fewer truly grasp the historical and cultural significance of these particular beads. These days, they seem to be associated with virtually every culture except European cultures. Nevertheless, they originally came from Murano where, for hundreds of years, they were produced by the ton and shipped off on long voyages throughout the world.

​From the 16th to the 20th centuries Murano glass beads were traded as currency between the merchants of the Venetian republic and, particularly, the people's of West Africa who placed a much higher value on decorative objects than they did on European currency. So highly valued were these beads that they were used to pay for the purchase of human beings, earning them the ominous name "slave beads".

While there certainly can not be a larger human impact of beads beyond their use as currency in the purchase of slaves, there were other significant impacts of the popularity of Murano glass beads that bear mentioning. For example, when the merchant sailors sailed off to parts unknown with their ships laden down with beads, their hard currency remained in Venice contributing significantly to the wealth of the Republic. Meanwhile, the impiraresse of Venice – the women workers whose job it was to string the billions of tiny seed beads produced on Murano for the luxury market – are known to have formed a labor union and gone on strike for better pay in the late 1800's, long before the labor movement began in Europe.

Venice is rice country.

Rice has been cultivated in the Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont since the mid-1400's. Today, Italy is the largest rice cultivator in Europe. The vast majority of rice cultivated in the humid valleys of northern Italy is short grain rice – including the famous Arborio and the Vialone Nano IGP rice cultivated near Verona.

The photograph on the right was sent to me courtesy of Venice Bites Food Tours, who happened to be treating their guests to a risotto just as I was writing this article. The photo on the right is my goopy attempt to replicate it. Definitely go out for a well-made risotto while in Venice!

Long considered a precious commodity, dishes made with rice, risottos, have a special place in both Venetian history and the Venetian diet. The beloved risi e bisi, a risotto of rice and peas, was historically served to the Doge in celebration of the feast day of San Marco, the patron saint of Venice. Risotto with eel is a traditional part of a Venetian Christmas Eve dinner. And, risotto di go is a gourmet specialty risotto, local to the Venetian island of Burano, made with “giozzo” - tiny fish caught in the lagoon - and the Veneto's Vialone Nano rice. Naturally, risottos change with the season as local chefs pair the rice with seasonal vegetables and freshly caught fish. This week, it seems we're all having asparagus risotto!

Well prepared pasta is delicious of course, but you won't have tasted Venice before you've tasted a carefully prepared risotto.

The cultural, social and political impact of the Republic of Venice goes well beyond the visual arts.

Whenever I see that a door to one of the document archives of Venice has been left open, I can't resist peeking my head in. The Republic of Venice was the home to the first trade union in Europe. It was the birthplace of modern accounting. And, of particular interest to me, and perhaps to all of us who can never seem to find the right charger for our mobile phones, somewhere inside those archives lies the first ever patent statute along with the records of the 2,000 patents that were issued by the Republic of Venice in the first 14 years that the statute went into effect. Those were the years from 1474 until 1488. Could the Venetian Senate have imagined, when they enacted that law hundreds of years ago that it would come to be adopted almost globally - Almost verbatim too! - and impact the daily lives of billions of people?

The big job of digitizing the documents within the archives, Project Venice Time Machine, is ongoing. It is possible to visit the state archives. Learn more HERE.

Venice is (still) bigger than the historic center.

The lion of San Marco in the old town of Kotor, Montenegro.

At it's peak, the Republic of Venice encompassed not only the Veneto coast and a large swath of the mainland, but also nearly the entire eastern Adriatic shore – the Dalmatian coast where one now finds the countries of Croatia, Montenegro & Albania – plus Corfu, Crete and, infamously, Constantinople. During it's peek as a trading empire, many more coastal territories, from Northern Africa to Asia, fell under the effective control of the Republic.

The lion of San Marco in the historic center of Marostica, Veneto.

Though, these days the territory of Venice and the Veneto are more limited to the lagoon and a portion of mainland Italy, there is still plenty of Venetian territory to explore beyond the city center. The lagoon itself covers an area of 550 kilometers, while the Veneto mainland stretches from Cortina to the north, Verona to the west and Chioggia and the Po Delta to the South. As you can imagine, recreational, educational and culinary experience opportunities abound in this territory.

Why, one could even go hiking in the morning, have a risotto for lunch, do a little shopping for Murano glass beads and pop into a document archive in the afternoon before gliding off on a sunset bird-watching cruise of the lagoon. Now that sounds like an amazing day in Venice!

OG Venice Travel Guide is delighted to host this article on behalf of Foody, a local startup founded by a small team of young Italian entrepreneurs who have created a platform, www.foodyexperience.com, that allows both Italian and foreign travelers to experience local culture through eating local foods and getting to know the cooks who prepare it. We're not sure what we love more about this... Is it the concept of the fun and authentic interaction that travelers can have with locals over a plate of local food? Is it that we're so excited to support these local entrepreneurs with their mission to connect travelers with positive experiences of Venice? Are we just hungry and thirsty? Either way, OG Venice wishes all the best of Elena and Michele and looks forward to many many more Foody Experiences!

This is the story of a Foody Experience in Venice:

On 16th of May two Venetian cooks, Cecilia and Daniela opened the doors of their lovely house in Rialto, at the centre of the living room was a big table full of ingredients for cicchetti - Venetian tapas. A group of 16 Americans from the State of Iowa were invited in to learn about, prepare and eat local Venetian food together with these two Venetian foodies.

Cecilia and Daniela first explained the origin of bacari, traditional Venetian wine bars, the name of which translates into “house of bacchus”, (Bacchus being, of course, the Roman God of wine). Bacari are small, dimly lit taverns, cicchetti and other traditional drinks and snacks of Venice. Cicchetti are often accompanied by an "obmra", which translates to English as "shade". An Ombra is a small glass of wine and is called a "shade" by Venetians because they were originally sold by itinerant traders, who followed the shadow of Saint Mark’s bell tower in order to keep the wine cool.

Venice, a magical city full of history and heritage, has so many customs linked to food. And one of the best ways to discover Venice is to live and eat as a local person.

The local ingredients chosen by Cecilia and Daniela for their guests' foody experienice in Venice were top quality, delicious and very representative of traditional Venetian food: baccalà mantecato (creamed cod), dried tomatoes, robiola (cheese), eggs, herring, soppressa (salami). And, as one of the cooks is also a sommelier, their guests also enjoyed a few ombri with their cicchetti!

This experience was organized by Foody, the platform that gives travelers the opportunity to eat local food with local people. Foody provides travelers with a fabulous experience of culture through enjoying local foods in familiar and warm atmospheres. Our 16 American guests were really impressed by the taste of the food, all the things that they learned about Venice, and the warmth of their hostesses.

This is the Story of How Foody Came to Be:

Foody was co-founded by Elena and Michele, two Italian entrepreneurs who met in Milan. The great idea for Foody came about, as many great ideas do, during a conversation over a plate of pasta. The founders wanted to create something that gave people the opportunity of discover and taste the traditional dishes from the different regions of Italy.

Foody aims to lead travelers, Italian or foreign, on a gastronomic journey through Italy starting with the food on the table and the stories told by the cooks themselves. That is why Elena and Michele advise travelers to, " Eat local with locals": To understand the soul of a city you must always start from the food and from the table .

Coming Up With Foody: The Prosecco Experience!

We are in the Country of Prosecco; Also known as the "Prosecco Road"

Through the Veneto, runs a 120 km road lined with beautiful vineyards. It starts from the Conegliano Castle and runs to to Valdobbiadene.

Here is an opportunity to have a great food & wine experience!

During the Prosecco Experience you will have:

A Vineyard Tour

A taste of 5 different types DOCG Prosecco accompanied by delicious Cicchetti

All these things within a beautiful wine company in the hills of Vittorio Veneto - Treviso

Start: from 5 pm

Saturday, July 23rd

Prize: 25,00€ per person

Book: info@foodyexperience.com

If you also have the passion for local food and would like to arrange a Foody Experience similar to the cicchetti making class, the prosecco experience, or even a delicious lunch or dinner in a local home in Venice or the Veneto, write to: info@foodyexperience.com. The Foody team will organize a wonderful Foody Experience for you!

OG Venice is the first, and still the only, strictly "city" guide to Venice Italy. It is the only guide to Venice that focuses exclusively on artisan shops, local eateries, beaches, nightlife and providing detailed and accurate practical information about life in the most serene republic of Venice. I started this project more than five years ago, after nine years of watching, listening and learning around Venice, with one not-so-simple goal: To create a guide that could free other tourists from the theme-park experience and help them discover the living breathing Venice behind the breathtaking facades of this City. What does such a guide include? Hmm...

Practical Information. As Venice has become increasingly mass-tourism centric, accomplishing everyday things has become more and more difficult. This is true for everyone in Venice, tourists and locals alike. The first Thank You letter OG Venice received was from a group of students who were overjoyed to have been able to, finally, find a grocery store and a laundromat near the apartment they had rented. Now, OG Venice can direct fellow travelers to virtually anything they may need, from Vaporetto passes to Food to Pharmacies. And, as unglamorous as these things may sound, they are not only the first things you should take care of in Venice, they're also the tasks that are most likely to put you in contact with real Venetians right away. If you have any practical questions about life in Venice, check out these sections of OG Venice Travel Guide:

Tips & Tricks. Learn about all the surprises that Venice will throw at you and master some tricks for going with the flow like a native Venetian.

Transportation. Unless you can walk on water, you'll want to know about boat services in the lagoon!

Food. Forget everything you've heard, it is possible to eat very well, even on a very tight budget, in Venice.

Necessities. It is much more difficult to find a hair dryer in Venice than it is to find a priceless work of art. But OG Venice can help you find just about any seemingly ordinary thing that can be seemingly impossible to come bye in Venice!

Nightlife. Don't let the elegant facades fool you! Venice is a loud-singing hard-drinking town. As Venetians like to point out, "It's not as though you'll be driving anywhere!" Adjusting to Venetian nightlife, which seems to begin at around 10AM for those who have the day off, is a challenge. But here's the thing: Venetian nightlife, especially bacaro hopping, is really not about sloppy drunkenness at all. It's about the community in Venice and the exchange of ideas. Bacari are the places where Venetians go together to catch up on life and discuss the goings on in their town and making "bacaro tours" is a local tradition practiced by Venetians of almost all ages and backgrounds. Children play in the squares while parents enjoy a spritz and groups of childhood friends who have been practicing together for decades perform music of all genres. That's right, you can't even go out at night without meeting an artist, in Venice!

Our Bars & Nightlife Section features local-favorite bars in each district of Venice. Now, Venice has a lot more bars than just those listed here. But those listed here are bars wherein I am absolutely certain that everyone who walks through the door will be treated well and honestly, and where we tourists have a chance of mingling with some real Venetians.

Shopping. Venetian artisans have been renowned throughout history for their skill and creativity and the historically famous Venetian arts are still coveted by many travelers today. Sadly, however, many tourists miss their opportunity to acquire authentic Venetian treasures in Venice. There are an unfathomable number of fake Venetian products being sold to tourists in the center of Venice itself. Worst of all, since most people don't even know they're purchasing fakes, this has sullied the reputation of contemporary Venetian artists. Are they really still making cheap versions of post-war favorites? Of Course Not! They are making gorgeous contemporary treasures unlike anything you've ever seen before. The Venetian artists of today are still among the most creative and talented artists in the world.

Our Shopping Section proudly features more than 60 contemporary Venetian artists and artisans engaged in crafts ranging from jewelry to glass work, from sculpture to clothing design to leather works. All of these shops are Venetian owned and many of the artists you will meet in these shops create their contemporary pieces using traditional Venetian methods and materials. These are places where you can find the new treasures in Venice.

Excursions. Visitors to Venice can quickly come to feel disconnected from nature, surrounded as they are by cobble stone streets and marble and plaster buildings. Venice can seem like an entirely man-made environment (Venice is architecture!), and most of the gardens one sees a wisteria creeping out of are off limits to the rest of us. Yet, Venice is situated in and dependent upon an extremely unique and beautiful natural environment: The Lagoon! There are many Islands in the lagoon, each with its own population and culture, and each of which contributes its own gifts to Venice. Lido has beaches. Sant'Erasmo has farms. Burano has lace and gorgeous colored homes. Murano, of course, has glass factories… and there's more! The Island of Certosa, for example, has an enormous marina and acres and acres of nature preserve.

Our Excursions Section and our Lido Beaches show some of the myriad options there are for exploring all of the different worlds, environments and lifestyles there are to be found in the lagoon. All of these places an easy and inexpensive to reach. And, as incredible as it may seem, they are also all really Venetian.

More! Oh yes, there's more…

Experience providers. Believe it or not, it is possible to go to Venice, stay for for three days, and still never actually meet a Venetian. (The percentage ratio of Venetians to Tourists is truly shockingly small.) Yet, the best way, perhaps the only way to really see Venice, is in the company of Venetians.

Local Tourism Sites and Key Resources. OG Venice provides links to the most useful and informative local tourism sites. Through these links you can buy boat and museum passes, learn about eco-friendly tourism initiatives, read local news…or just book a taxi from the airport…

The OG Venice Trip Planner. The very steps I use to plan my own travel to Venice, updated to include the services of some amazing startups - Hopper.com & AllTheRooms.com - Which have made travel planner so much easier not just for Venice, but the world.

So… It may be a little quiet around the OG Venice Blog for a while as I focus my energy on improving OG Venice Travel Guide. But hey! That's exactly what I am here for: To continue to create the first, only and very best city guide to Venice, Italy.